BAM TO CONTINUE FORGING COOPERATION WITH PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS FOR LA28

KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 (Bernama) -- The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) is expected to continue working with professional players including national men's singles player Lee Zii Jia, in preparation for team tournaments and sporting championships including the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

BAM secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh said discussions have also been held with several professional players regarding possible collaborations, including joining national squad training sessions and attending selection sessions.

"We have had discussions with Lee Zii Jia and all the independent players for the Thomas Cup and the Olympic Games.

"They will be doing joint training and maybe they will be there for selection," he said when met after a working committee meeting with the National Sports Council (MSN) today.

Earlier, Zii Jia, women's singles player Goh Jin Wei and men's doubles pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani have pledged their commitment to join the Malaysian squad for the Thomas Cup which will be held in Horsens, Denmark from April 24 to May 3.

Meanwhile, Kenny also said today's meeting also discussed the podium and back-up programmes which involved 21 senior players and 20 junior players.

According to Kenny, the existing coaches will be responsible for setting specific key performance indicators (KPIs) for each tournament as part of the preparations for the Asian Games.

"Our focus is now more on specific tournaments.

"The coach will set KPIs for the players in each competition and of course the most important thing is to achieve the target at the Asian Games," he said.

-- BERNAMA